Dr. Helen

Commentary on popular culture and society, from a (mostly) psychological perspective

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Clemson University has a summer conference on Atlas Shrugged for undergrads that sounds good: The Clemson Institute for Capitalism is proud to announce the theme of our 2009 Student Summer Conference, "Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and the Moral Foundations of Capitalism."

Friday, March 06, 2009

The meme grows....

”Do you ever wonder,” wrote Dr. Helen Smith, “after dealing with all that is going on with the economy and the upcoming election, if it’s getting to be time to ‘go John Galt?’”

It is October 12, 2008 and inspired by Barack Obama’s curbside debate with Joe the Plumber — and the likelihood of his election to the presidency — Smith, a forensic psychologist in Knoxville, Tenn., was tossing the readers of her blog a serious question. It had been years since she had read “Atlas Shrugged.” “I had to refresh my memory with the Cliffs Notes,” she said on Thursday in an interview. But the themes of Ayn Rand’s 1957 novel, and the themes of the climactic 40-page speech by self-imposed social outcast “John Galt”, had stuck with her.

What cities are the most "manly" in America?

Step aside men of Motown, Sin City and the Big Apple. Nashville now ranks as the manliest city in America. Mars Snackfood US announced today the release of "America's Manliest Cities" - a study commissioned by COMBOS(R) Brand in partnership with Bert Sperling, the research expert behind the popular "Best Places to Live" studies.

Via the "America's Manliest Cities" study, COMBOS(R) - the hearty, pretzel and cracker snack made with real cheese - examines what makes a city manly and then ranks 50 major metropolitan areas using criteria such as number of professional major league sports teams, popularity of tools and hardware and frequency of monster truck rallies. Cities also lose ranking points for emasculating characteristics like the abundance of home furnishing stores, high minivan sales and subscription rates to beauty magazines.

Having spent much time in both places, I must concur. What do you think?

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Looking for John Galt

We need guests for an upcoming show on PJTV on "going John Galt." I will be interviewing those of you who going John Galt in some way that you could talk about, cutting back your business, starting a vegetable garden, or some creative way (that is legal, of course). If you want to be interviewed, email JohnGalt@PJTV.com

PJTV: The growing rift between men and women

My guest on PJTV today is Dr. Richard Driscoll, a clinical psychologist who just wrote a new book, You Still Don't Understand. The book and our discussion look at why relationships between men and women are becoming briefer, less satisfying and increasingly bitter. This is not the typical PC fare, but a deeper analysis of the importance of fathers, why men are intimidated by angry women, why that needs to change and much more. Don't miss it.

Update: Some of you have complained in the comments that there is registration and subscription required. I should have mentioned that the first 1500 views were free and it changed to subcription after that. Sorry, if it changes, I will post an update.

"Going Galt" continued...

Enough. Last Friday, thousands of Americans turned out to protest reckless government spending in the pork-laden stimulus package, the earmark-clogged budget bill, the massive mortgage-entitlement program and taxpayer-funded corporate rescues. Contrary to false left-wing blog smears that the hastily planned impromptu events were "Astro-turfed," the crowds were packed with first-time grassroots activists. They were people with families and day jobs whose usual definition of "community organizing" involves neighborhood yard sales or their kids' soccer matches. They were members of the silent majority who decided to be silent no more.

"Going Galt" isn't just about reducing taxable income, it is about getting involved politically. Many people are now carrying signs saying "Atlas will Shrug" or making references to John Galt. A small group can become a movement....

"Dodging" is for Tim Geithner, not for honest Americans

Lawyers, dentists and entrepreneurs are among some high-earning professionals brainstorming ways to decrease their pay to dodge [my emphasis] a proposed tax increase on incomes over $250,000.

Is it fair for people to reduce high salaries to sidestep President Obama's tax proposal?

Last time I looked, involuntary servitude was outlawed by the Thirteenth Amendment (but maybe not for long!). No one in the US (yet) can be forced to work just so they can keep paying money to the government and programs they may not want to support. I remember reading an article about an artist who decided to cut back on his hours and live on almost nothing because he did not want to pay taxes to support the war in Iraq under Bush. The article never questioned whether what this man was doing was "fair" or constituted "dodging" taxes.

Now the tables are turned and there are Americans who do not want to support Obama's socialist agenda or who simply do not want to work more for less and less money.

Monday, March 02, 2009

Are you my father?

Remember the kid's book, Are You My Mother? where a confused baby bird tries to find its mother? Now, the UK will have even more confused kids asking, "Are you my father?" Reader Chris emailed this Daily Mail story entitled, "Another blow to fatherhood: IVF mothers can name ANYONE as 'father' on birth certificate." Get a load of this:

Family values were under attack again last night with the news that single women having IVF will be able to name anyone they like as their baby's father on the birth certificate.

New regulations mean that a mother could nominate another woman to be her child's 'father'.

The 'father' does not need to be genetically related to the baby, nor be in any sort of romantic relationship with the mother.

Isn't this more than a little confusing? What is the child going to think when he or she grows up and finds out that mom just stuck any old name on his or her birth certificate? I was recently reading an article in the Houston Press on the feelings of children of anonymous sperm donors and found that they already have a host of psychological issues: feelings of loss, not knowing where they came from, feeling robbed of half of their medical history, family and identity. The feelings were summed up by a sperm donor child called Kathleen: "I look in the mirror," she says, "and I don't know whose face is reflected back."

How can these new UK regulations do anything to help kids? At least in the book above, the baby bird happily found its real mother. It sounds like the real life babies in the UK will now have an even harder time finding dad.